This past week we were host to a great group of faculty and first-year students from Alderleaf Wilderness College! The students slept outside in tents and later in their own hand-built snow shelters, while spending their days learning winter survival techniques and animal tracking. We were kindly invited to sit-in on the animal tracking lecture, and had the pleasure of joining an early morning snow-shoe hike to Lookout Mountain, 2.5 miles up the ridgeline from the Bermhouse.

The excitement and energy from the students added to the natural magic of the land itself. Sharp eyes identified tracks from many different wild animals – bobcat, coyote, weasel, mouse, and cougar just a few. Much laughter, conversation, tears of joy, and words of inspiration were shared among the group.  It is our pleasure to be able to offer Skalitude as the place for such profoundly nourishing education!

In this day and age, when we are losing much of the planet’s precious wild lands and wild beings, we are incredibly grateful to the teachers at Alderleaf College, and other similar institutions, who re-build the link between humans and the wilderness, bringing focus to our innate connection with nature, and re-awakening the skills that are deeply interwoven in our heritage, no matter where are roots may lie.  We very much appreciate the time and energy shared by this fantastic group of young adults!